The need for safety adjuncts is well known, in particular those that protect a person's face and specifically those designed to protect the eyes, nose, mouth and their surrounding perimeters are an essential accessory in an effort to prevent irritation, injury or impairment, either temporary or permanent in nature while performing a multitude of tasks or while present in or passing through hazardous environments. Accidents occur even in the most cautious and well designed of settings, such as a laboratory or other workplace, and items such as goggles, safety glasses, filters, masks and other types of face or respiratory protection provide a much needed secondary basis of safeguarding one's self beyond standard operating procedures, common sense and rules. Outside of a controlled environment these types of safety devices become necessitous. As an example a person working in the outdoors may not be able to control how a rock will break, where chipped concrete or broken glass will fly, or the amount of dust a machine or process may produce in an uncontrolled environment. Other variables include such items as wind driven particles, droplets or objects, smoke, insects, pollen, rain, steam or gas from vehicles or vents, chemical spills, reactions, tanks releasing vapors, overheated mechanical equipment or explosions. In other environments, such as a medical setting (either in a facility or in the field) there is a need to protect ones self from a multitude of airborne or bloodborne pathogens, infectious body fluids that might splash, spray or splatter, germs, or infectious diseases (e.g. tuberculosis, H1N1), especially when certain types of medical treatment or procedures are performed in an enclosed location where space is limited and ventilation may be less than ideal.
This well documented need has been answered with a multitude of types of glasses or other eye protection, as well as an endless selection of masks, air filters, breathing apparatus or a combination thereof that allows the user to work in a potentially hazardous area. Many workplaces have rules in effect requiring the use of one type or another of these protective coverings. Additionally for most work performed in an outside environment (e.g. digging, tunneling, etc.) the need for these devices can be in many cases can be anticipated and prepared for in advance. The use of these types of safety adjuncts are often the result of a previous accident, but are also driven by common sense, preplanning, Unions, insurance needs, or Government laws and regulations (e.g. Occupational Safety and Health Administration). However; several problems continue to exist in this area of safety. Firstly, today in our society there remains an unmet need for the coverage of one's eyes, face and respiratory orifices (i.e. nose and mouth) in places and at times that were in the past never considered viable locations for such protection, and are not under any Government regulations or workplace rules. In these places it is of exigent need that this protection must be quickly and accurately deployed to prevent impairment, debilitation or injury. These places are just about anywhere and anyplace that people live, cohabitate, labor, travel, commute or leisure in, and may take place at any time of day or night. This need has been intensified with the advent of more chemicals, new strains of aerosol transmissible diseases (e.g. Avian Flu, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) with pandemic possibilities, higher population density, an increase in man made and natural disasters and more importantly by an increase in the awareness of terrorism, including past acts and the potential for future acts of extremist acts in places that used to be assumed safe and secure by the general public. In a terrorist attack (e.g. dispersal of an airborne particulate or agent) there is little time to react without becoming potentially impaired. Terrorists and other radical factions are known to rely on the element of surprise in their attacks and are notorious for encompassing confusion and disorientation tactics in an effort to potentiate the effect as well as secure their escape. Many of the devices used by these guerillas in some manner emit smoke or vapors, sometimes visible, sometimes invisible but often with the goal of, the addition of; or the side effect of irritating the respiratory tract, impairing vision and debilitating humans. Post attack (e.g. explosives) there is the danger of long term effects such as exposure to asbestos or other carcinogens during rescue or response, and of more importance the possibility of a secondary device or attack immediately following the first attack.
This problem is especially important for those who work in the safety, law enforcement, military, or rescue field, where during or after an attack there is a duty to act and the simplest delay or impairment could greatly reduce the effectiveness of their response. While most of these first responders are trained in and are issued the necessary safety equipment, it isn't always readily available, suitable to carry or often there is a time factor in finding and donning the equipment (e.g. reaching in a pocket or bag).
An example of this would be a detail in a professional setting, where the assigned individuals must blend in with the general public and would be dressed in civilian clothing in a manner so as to be undistinguishable from the general public. As an example, a plain clothed police officer in a subway would not have the pockets to carry a full gas mask, or would be asked not to have one visible so as to alert or panic the public, but would be tasked to quickly respond to a person or persons who release a substance in an enclosed vestibule. In an instance like this there may only be seconds to subdue the assailant(s) and mitigate the problem. An officer in this instance must be able to keep constant visual contact with a perpetrator's whereabouts while protecting themselves, and at the same time not compromise their ability to operate a radio, draw a weapon, and move to confront, take cover, or move civilians out of harm's way. A secondary problem with safety adjuncts is the social and cosmetic concerns of the user. In an increasingly visible society (e.g. security cameras, social media, online videos, media phones, etc.) where expectations of privacy are decreasing and jobs more scarce and thus increasingly competitive, people wish to look their best whether in the public or private eye under all conditions. Many safety devices use clever coverings and colors in an attempt to make them socially acceptable, but many people feel uncomfortable wearing or carrying a mask and eye protection wherever they travel, and in some instances the appearance of them may serve to create worry or panic (e.g. on a train, bus or enclosed space). They will often forgo carrying or wearing them for the sake of vanity.
A third problem exists in the ability to recognize others who are wearing safety equipment. When a person's face and eyes are covered it is difficult to perceive who is behind such apparatus. This is especially critical in a field operation where there may be several similar groups working together (e.g. plainclothes agents) or under surveillance (such as a sniper operation) and there is a need for recognition. An example of this would be a crowded square in an area where it is common for the population to dress in similar garments. In a panicked and potentially hazardous situation it would be difficult from a distance to spot certain individuals, especially if engaging them in a situation where only a covered head and face were visible (e.g. gun fight). In such a case deploying face protection with a prearranged signaler sign (e.g. ultraviolet thread, logo, or chemical mark) could be the difference between life and death. Additionally the problem exists in many cases items where an immediate need for facial safety adjuncts may be misplaced, forgotten, hard to find, or have been used or contaminated and are no longer viable for use. In such instances the ability to have eye protection with a deployable mask filter would be advantageous and of great benefit not only to the user but also to those the user may be assisting (e.g. a patient with a compromised immune system who may become infected by the person rendering them aid).
Finally a device that solves the above problems must be inexpensive in order to be a practical choice.
Thus there is provided herein a solution for a cost efficient, concealable, disguisable, quickly and efficiently deployable safety adjunct that has the appearance of common eyewear, yet provides protection for the eyes, face and respiratory system with minimal disruption to the user and can have recognition signals.